Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

In my recent post about summer reads, Nomes recommended Kristan Higgins’ books. Earlier that day, Sarah Rees Brennan mentioned the same author in a tweet, saying that her work is similar to Jennifer Crusie’s. I took that as a sign that I should read one of Kristan Higgins’ books as soon as I could. The premise of Just One of the Guys looked interesting so I thought it would be a good introduction to the author’s work.

So when journalist Chastity O’Neill returns to her hometown, she decides it’s time to start working on some of those feminine wiles. Two tiny problems: #1 — she’s five-foot-eleven of rock-solid girl power, and #2 — she’s cursed with four alpha male older brothers.

While doing a story on local heroes, she meets a hunky doctor, and things start to look up. Now there’s only one problem: Trevor Meade, her first love and the one man she’s never quite gotten over — although he seems to have gotten over her just fine.

Yet the more time she spends with Dr. Perfect, the better Trevor looks. But even with the in-your-face competition, the irresistible Trevor just can’t seem to see Chastity as anything more than just one of the guys…

I could relate to the title, Just One of the Guys, and Chastity’s situation. My major in college was electronics engineering and there were a lot more guys in our class than girls. I have been part of groups where I was the only girl countless of times and my classmates treated me like I was just like them. So because I knew what it felt like to be just one of the boys, I had a feeling Chastity and I would get along just fine. And we did. It was easy enough to like Chas because she’s smart, funny, athletic and loves her big family like crazy. I think the O’Neill family is wonderful even though I couldn’t keep track of the names of all the nieces and nephews. It’s only natural that Trevor gravitated to this family when his own fell apart. He’s now the honorary O’Neill son and Chastity knows that she should only treat him like family even though he has always been her one true love. Now that Chas is back in town, working as an editor in the local newspaper, she wants to finally get over Trevor, settle down and start a family of her own.

The book had several scenes that had me laughing out loud. The embarrassing situations that Chastity gets into were hilarious. Based on the covers, I think that all of Kristan Higgins’ heroines own dogs, which I think is adorable. Chas’ own dog, the ugly Buttercup, was a funny character in this one. The pacing for the first half of the story was really good – it kept me captivated and I wanted to know how everything will unfold. However, the latter part of the story kind of dragged for me. Look at that premise, you already know how’s it going to end, right? I kept waiting for it to happen and I wanted to shake the characters and say, “Oy, you better shape up so we can go on with the story!” I just felt like it took too long for Chastity to get her happy ending. As a result, I didn’t like this one as much as I’d hoped. That’s my only quibble with this book but overall, it’s an enjoyable read and I wouldn’t be surprised if other people say that they loved this. I think it’s a perfect summer read and I’m glad I was persuaded to pick it up. I look forward to reading the author’s backlist.

Like this:

Related

Welcome to Chachic's Book Nook! I'm a Filipino book blogger currently based in Singapore. My blog features all sorts of books that I read from various genres (fantasy, contemporary romance, young adult fiction). Click on About Me to learn more and check out my Favorite Books page for a list of books that I love. Thanks for dropping by!
Chachic /ˈtʃɑːtʃɪk/ is pronounced with hard “ch” sounds. The first syllable is pronounced like the dance cha-cha while the second syllable is like chick (baby chicken).

I definitely agree that it takes waaaay too long for Chastity to get her HEA, but I absolutely love this book! Definitely one of my favorites, it was the first Higgins I read as well and I ended up reading her entire backlist within a few weeks…you should definitely try All I Ever Wanted next, it’s another favorite🙂

What’s funny is I was looking up this very same author last night. I was trying to see what her highest rated book on Goodreads was, and this one had some pretty decent reviews. The one I was eyeing was My One and Only, though.

Update on this. I ended up reading Too Good to Be True and really enjoyed it. It was really funny! It sounds like the MCs are very similar, and while I wanted to knock some sense into some of the characters (including the MC) SEVERAL times, I ended up really enjoying it.

Yes, that’s how I felt too! I wanted to knock some sense into some of the characters in this one. Looks like all of her novels have a similar feel? I’ll try read another one of her books and see if this is really the case.

Hehe. A friend recommended this exact same book to me last February. I think that the only way we’ll be able to read her work would be through e-reader though, since even Fully Booked doesn’t stock Harlequin-published titles.

So agree on the part about being able to relate to the heroine. I may not have taken a science/engineering course back in college, but my interests pretty much ensured that the majority of my close friends would be male. Also agree on your comment about the second half dragging, especially since this is a romance and we know that it will eventually end with the HEA.

Oh, I love my kindle. It’s just that there are times when it feels more like a toy rather a device built to last for the long haul (the K2 actually feels more high-end IMO). It has this plasticky feel that I associate with the entry level DSLRs as compared to the intermediate and pro level ones that have more metal parts in their builds.

The page up and page down buttons on the right side of my K3, for example, feel a lot looser compared to the ones one the left side (which are attached flush onto the body and don’t show the tiny gap that I see between the buttons and the groove on the right side). So I think in terms of build quality, the Sony would definitely be better.

I returned the favor to that friend by introducing her to the Mercy Thompson books. I’m getting her to read Kate Daniels now (didn’t do that before because I hadn’t read the books yet). BTW, already emailed you the feedback on the Kate books that I promised. ^_^

I think that I’ll give this book another try. Maybe I was just having an off day when I read it. Hehe.

Hmm you have a point there, the third gen of the Kindle is a lot cheaper than its predecessors so maybe that has affected the quality. I never had a second gen Kindle so I have no point of comparison. I get what you mean with the right side buttons though because I’ve noticed that with mine as well. I just thought that maybe it was because I used that side more often. Still, I’m hoping that my Kindle will last a while. I still read way more actual books anyway.

I hope your friend likes the Kate Daniels series! You can also introduce her to the Edge series after that. Did you see the snippet that Ilona posted on their blog today? I saw your email but I haven’t had a chance to reply, sorry. You should really start your own blog because that email could be your review for the whole series.🙂

I didn’t own a K2, but my friend lent me his for a trial run before I bought my K3 last December. The K2 has a brushed aluminum back, and the page up and down buttons, while a lot harder to press, definitely feel a lot more solid compared to the K3 buttons. And the right side buttons on mine were like that when I received my K3. I noticed it immediately, which is why I switched to using the left buttons instead. But it does become more difficult to use the left side when I’m reading one-handed.

There’s a new snippet? Ooooh, must check. Last post I read was the one with the pics of the shiny knives that Ilona bought for Gordon. Hmmmm. Did I tell you that I have a very small knife collection (three knives ranging from tiny to medum)that I inherited from a friend? Hahaha.

I should keep track of all my comments here. Then I can cross refrence them if/when I start a book blog.😛

Oh your friend is nice! I didn’t have any experience with the Kindle until I got mine. Now, so many people have their own Kindles. And more will probably buy now that they have a cheaper version with ads.

Yep, there’s a new snippet featuring Jack and George. Looks like there’s going to be a lot of both of them in the book. I hope they post something about Kaldar soon, I haven’t seen a snippet about him yet. LOL about that knife collection! Remind me not to make you angry.

You should keep track of them.😛 Have I convinced you to start your own blog yet?

I suppose my friend can afford to be nice, since he has a Kindle DX as well.😛

Hehehe. Well, only the biggest one (a Harley Davidson branded knife) looks really scary because it has a serrated edge. The smallest one is cute, it’s a folding knife with a bright pink handle. It’s the only one I can actually carry in my purse, the other two stay inside the drawer.

Hmmm. I’ve reserved the blog name genrehopping at wordpress just in case I do get around to starting a book blog.

Your friend has two Kindles?! *jealous* He must have a lot of books as well.

I am amazed at how you managed to bring knives into the conversation. That Harley Davidson knife sounds scary. You should carry that around when you commute. But then again, they might not let you in the MRT.

Oooh you reserved a blog site already, that’s the first step. I hope you start blogging soon.😀 It’s a lot of fun, I promise.

Hi! Newbie follower😉 Decided to post a comment since I recently read the same book.🙂

Honestly, it took me awhile to go through and finish the book (weeks?). I guess it’s ‘coz I felt like I was reading blind on Trevor. I think I’ve read too many books lately that has 2 POVs. I think it would have been better if we got to go see inside Trevor’s head.😉 I got to admit though that there were really funny parts that had me laughing. It’s not the best for me but I won’t mind reading her other books.

Hi Pochie, wow looks like you had a hard time finishing this one. I didn’t have that difficult of a time but I did get frustrated in the latter half when I wanted the story to move forward already. Oh I know what you mean about Trevor, I feel like we didn’t get enough of him in the book. We only saw him through Chastity’s point of view and they had limited scenes together. I think that we had a similar reaction to this!🙂

Post navigation

Hello!

Welcome to Chachic's Book Nook! I'm a Filipino book blogger currently based in Singapore. My blog features all sorts of books that I read from various genres (fantasy, contemporary romance, young adult fiction). Click on About Me to learn more and check out my Favorite Books page for a list of books that I love. Thanks for dropping by!

Chachic /ˈtʃɑːtʃɪk/ is pronounced with hard “ch” sounds. The first syllable is pronounced like the dance cha-cha while the second syllable is like chick (baby chicken).

Subcribe by Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Chachic's Book Nook and receive notifications of new posts by email.